Colouring and activity packs and sets available from autumn 2020 across the country

Mondo TV, one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content, has secured a new license for Magic Light Pictures, licensor of The Gruffalo. The agent has announced a new Italian licensee for the classic children’s brand based on the beautiful picture book.

Pon Pon Edizioni has been licensed to launch a range of products including activity and colouring packs and sets. The range is aimed at children aged from three to five.

The deal covers Italy, along with San Marino, Canton Ticino and Vatican City. The range will be available at kiosks and bookstores across all of these territories before the end of the year.

The range uses illustrations and designs from the classic book illustrated by Axel Scheffler and written by Julia Donaldson. The story is a delightful tale of how a tiny mouse outwits a number of animals intent on eating him: a fox, an owl, a snake and finally a big, scary creature called The Gruffalo.

The Gruffalo was initially published in 1999 and has gone on to sell over 24 million copies across multiple formats in 99 languages. It has also inspired a growing global licensing campaign. Global licensor Magic Light appointed Mondo to develop a licensing programme for The Gruffalo in Italy, Spain and Portugal in late 2019.

A love of books brought together Gianni Bono and Marilla Pascale, who launched Pon Pon Edizioni in 2013. Today Pon Pon Edizioni has a portfolio that ranges from first reading and classic fairy tale books to magic pens, sticker albums and much more, with a strong profile in partnerships with licensed brands.

Valentina La Macchia, Mondo TV Licensing Director, says: “This is a brand famous for its illustrations as well as its wonderful storyline and Pon Pon Edizioni is the ideal partner to bring those illustrations to the market in the form of activity and colouring packs. We are expecting to appoint further high-quality licensees very soon in Italy, Spain and Portugal, where sales of The Gruffalo book are very strong.”

ABOUT MONDO TV
Mondo TV is a group of companies operating across a number of sectors in the entertainment business. It is the leader in Italy – and among the largest players in Europe – in the production and distribution of animated TV series and full-length feature films for TV and cinema. It also has a strong presence in the Latin American territories through its sister company Mondo TV Iberoamerica, based in Spain. With Heidi Bienvenida, co-produced by Mondo TV Iberoamerica and Alianzas Producciones, it has recently successfully moved into the production of live-action entertainment. Mondo TV has also enjoyed success with a number of co-productions – including Heidi Bienvenida, Invention Story, Robot Trains and  MeteoHeroes – and continues to actively pursue partnership opportunities with potential production and broadcasting partners. Mondo TV owns one of Europe’s largest animation libraries: it consists of more than 2,000 episodes of television series shown all over the world, along with more than 75 animated movies. The group’s licensing division, Mondo TV Consumer Products, was founded in 2010.